Vitiligo is a dermatological illness, due to the absence of melanotic pigments, wherein portions of the body are devoid of color while the surrounding areas are excessively colored. This disease, whose etiology is unknown, afflicts about 1% of the world's population (i.e., about 40.times.10.sup.6 persons), with concommitant effects to the afflicted person's psyche and social behavior. Consequently, it has long been desirable to obtain treatments whereby the skin is enabled to regain its normal coloration.
It has long been known to treat vitiligo with psoralens which are either ingested by the patients, or applied to the melanophores wherein the pigment is produced, followed by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, whereby the melanotic pgiment is produced and the normal coloration of the patient restored.
However, the above methods suffer in that the psoralens are toxic--i.e., they cause dermatitis and necrosis when applied to the skin and hepatitic insufficiency and nervous and digestive disorders when ingested. Furthermore, they require gradually increasing exposures to the ultraviolet radiation, with its concommittant deletorious effects, and their effects are reversible.
It has now been found, in accordance with the present invention, that an irreversible recovery of the patient's normal coloration may be obtained without any of the above adverse reactions.